1. Field of the Invention
My present invention relates to weighing scales, and more particularly to mercantile electronic weighing scales and the merchandise receiving platforms thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the prior art to provide the platforms of personal weighing scales, which are contacted by human body parts, with permanent coverings of linoleum or similar substances. A personal weighing scale provided with such a permanent covering is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,893,041, issued to Fred A. Schmitz on Jan. 3, 1933.
It is also known in the prior art to provide a top-loading precision balance with a two-part pan assembly, which pan assembly includes a unitary sheet metal cover spacedly superposed on a base. Such a precision balance is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,412, issued to Luchinger and Strickler on May 22, 1979.
It is also known in the prior art to provide the platform of an industrial weighing scale with an overlying thin sheet of rubber or similar material which itself bears a rigid load-receiving platter, said platter being provided with skirts which protect the mechanism of the weighing apparatus from exposure to liquids. A water-resistant weighing apparatus of this type is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,246, issued to Stephen A. Patoray on Jul. 2, 1985.
It is also known in the prior art to superpose upon the platform of an electromagnetic balance a rigid shield formed from ferromagnetic material of sufficiently high permeability to provide a path of least reluctance for transmitting flux from an external field, thereby preventing such flux from interfering with the intended operation of the weighing apparatus. An electromagnetic balance of this type is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,552, issued to Charles H. Gebo and Bradley C. Roth on Nov. 7, 1989.
A copy of each of the above-listed patents is supplied to the Patent and Trademark Office herewith.
No representation or admission is made that any of the above-listed patents is part of the prior art, or that no more pertinent information exists.
The term "prior art" as used herein or in any statement made by or on behalf of applicant means only that any document or thing referred to as prior art bears, directly or inferentially, a date which is earlier than the effective filing date hereof.
None of the prior art patents discussed hereinabove shows or describes the application to a weighing scale platform of a cover which is easily impressible or indentable, yielding, spongy, or pillow-like.
None of the prior art patents discussed hereinabove shows or describes a cover for a scale platform which is expendable, i.e., is so subject to being ruptured by items commonly abruptly placed thereupon that its effective life is very brief compared with the life of the scale.
Further, none of the above-discussed prior art patents shows or describes a temporary cover which is to be applied to the platform of a merchantile scale.
Yet further, none of the above-discussed prior art patents shows or describes a cover for the platform of a mercantile weighing scale which is sufficiently light in weight so that it falls within the zero adjustment range of many if not most merchantile weighing scales, whereby such scales need only be adjusted, and not modified, in response to the application thereto of such a platform cover.
It is also known in the prior art that certain irregularly shaped articles of merchandise, when abruptly placed upon the rigid, unyielding surfaces of the platforms of electronic mercantile scales, tend to rock repeatedly, thereby preventing the scale reading from settling immediately to a final value. This problem will hereinafter be called the "settling problem".
It is also known in the prior art that certain articles of merchandise, such as truffles or other candy or confectionery items, can be damaged by being abruptly deposited upon the rigid, unyielding platforms of conventional mercantile scales.
It is yet further known in the prior art that certain articles of merchandise can at times roll off the flat, rigid, unyielding surfaces of the platforms of mercantile electronic scales upon which they are abruptly placed, thus rendering them unmerchantable.